View: India strictly enforced ceasefire, Pak played dirty on May 10 night
While Indian armed forces stood down at 5 pm on May 10, Pakistan violated the no fire pact using armed drones that night.
US President Donald Trump castigated both Iran and Israel for violating the ceasefire conditions after he announced a cessation of hostilities between the two arch-rivals on Monday evening (Eastern Time). Clearly, both warring nations took advantage of the time difference and communication lag to launch last-minute bombings and missile attacks on each other.
While the 12-day war, as President Trump described it, ended following these final assaults, it is notable that Pakistan was not similarly reprimanded by the US, despite continuing to launch drone attacks against India after a ceasefire was declared at 5 pm on May 10. After the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) proposed a ceasefire to his Indian counterpart at 3.35pm on May 10 - and it was accepted by the Indian DGMO - Rawalpindi informed Washington. As a result, President Trump unilaterally took to social media and claimed credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi later clarified to President Trump over the phone that the US had no role in the May 10 ceasefire agreement with Pakistan regarding Operation Sindoor.
The fact remains that while the Pakistani Army continued targeting Indian border cities even after the ceasefire was announced, the Indian Armed Forces strictly enforced the no-fire pact. This discipline was maintained despite serious military provocations by General Asim Munir’s army in the Jammu sector, and in the Jodhpur and Bhuj sectors, on the night of May 10 using Turkish-made kamikaze drones. India's adherence to the ceasefire after 5 pm demonstrates the nation’s strong command and control - especially when compared to Pakistan’s fragmented political and military leadership, which often act out of sync.
Even as a delusional Pakistan claimed victory and promoted Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal, its panicked leadership rushed to the US seeking intervention after 11 of its air bases were rendered non-operational and aircraft destroyed by Indian long-range missile strikes in the early hours of May 10.
After PM Modi firmly stood his ground during a May 9 evening call from US Vice President Vance - who warned of a strong Pakistani response - saying that “India would respond with a bomb to a Pak bullet,” the US State Department’s Operational Control Centre scrambled to patch a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Pakistan’s desperation became evident as the Centre made multiple calls to reach Jaishankar, who was initially unavailable when the first attempt was made at around 8.45 am on May 10. Calls were made to the Minister’s office, the Foreign Secretary, and officers in charge to relay the urgency of Secretary Rubio’s request. The call was finally connected at 9.38 am, during which Rubio conveyed Pakistan’s offer for a ceasefire. Minister Jaishankar firmly responded that such a proposal must come through the institutionalized India–Pakistan DGMO channel to be considered.
Even as this diplomatic exchange took place, the Indian Armed Forces had already launched three BrahMos missile strikes on Pakistani air bases, the last of which struck Bholari Air Base at noon, destroying a large-bodied military aircraft.
However, once both DGMOs, under instructions from their respective leaderships, agreed to a ceasefire starting 5 pm on May 10, Indian forces held fire. In contrast, Pakistani forces violated the agreement by launching armed drones toward India - revealing poor discipline and command structure.
Had Indian political and military leadership not shown restraint and upheld the verbal ceasefire, the Pakistani port of Karachi would have likely been targeted by the Indian Navy on the night of May 10.
